Zhihao Liu

EE 394 Section B2

7 Dec 2019

Ethics Essay

“Code of ethics” just like a workplace policy. ”The purpose of having a “Code of Ethics”

is to protect the public and the reputation of the professionals. It’s usually established by

authority agencies, and people who violate the code of ethics will be punished. The

establishment of a code of ethics regulates people's behavior and lets people know what they can

and cannot do. For example, the IEEE Code of Ethics is a standard developed by people in this

industry to protect everyone after realizing the impact of their industry on the world. The

National Society of Professional Engineers' Code of Ethics for Engineers requires that safety,

health, and welfare of the public shall be paramount; engineers should perform only in their areas

of competence; shall be truthful; shall be faithful agents or trustees.

When facing an ethical situation, I will use the way that solving ethical dilemmas. First, I

will recognize what causes ethical dilemmas. Then, I will recall my core ethical values and the

“Golden Rule” and be willing to follow the theme. Finally, I will consult my company and

discipline the Code of Ethics to make the final decision.

We discussed the Amazon Echo Issue in class, which is a homicide case with Amazon's

voice-activated device Echo at the scene of the crime. For me, I think we should follow the first

article of the IEEE Code of Ethics (to accept responsibility in making decisions consistent with

the safety, health, and welfare of the public, and to disclose promptly factors that might endanger

the public or the environment), and provide recordings to police to identify the killer. But my
team members came up with different ideas. They said that if evidence was provided to the

police, it represented that Amazon did not respect customer privacy and leaked user information

privately. This is for consideration of company integrity and fidelity. We still didn't find a perfect

solution between public safety and corporate integrity.

I think there are three virtues related to this case, they are integrity, fidelity, and

responsibility. Integrity means that the company must keep its promises, such as not leaking user

privacy. Fidelity means that the company must be faithfulness to its customers and not infringe

on their rights and interests. Responsibility means that the company must consider public safety

and do its best to assist the police in solving the case to maintain social stability. I think the other

three virtues honesty, charity, and self-discipline are not very relevant to this case, and I can't

think of other related ones either. I think the best solution is to protect the user's privacy as much

as possible, but if the court decides to turn in the recording evidence, the company should better

follow the law. This method protects user privacy to the extent permitted by the law, enables the

company to reach to integrity and fidelity, and also strives to contribute to public safety and

achieve a sense of responsibility.